Contact-post system for transmitting electric power



PATENTED APR. 28, 1908, G. E. TITCOMB. GONTAGT PSST SYSTEM FOR TRANSMITTENG ELECTRIC POWER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1.968.

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'PATEMED APR. 28, 1908. e. E. 'rrrcoms.

FOR TRANSMITTING ELECTRIC POWER. "EPPLIQATION FILED FEB. 29, 1902.

CONTACT POST SYSTEM 5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No: 886,093. PATENTED APR, 28, 1908. G. E. TITUOMB,

CONTACT POST SYSTEM FOR TRANSMETTING ELEGTRIG PQWER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 29, 1908,

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E10 M; 2 2 a 2' 6 15- J "No. 886,093. PATENTED APR. 28, 1908. G E. TITUOMB. CONTACT POST SYSTEM FOR TRANSMITTING BLEGTRI 0 POWER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 29, 1908.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

"unirzsn s'nirns GEORGE E. TITCOMB, OF PHILADELPHlA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO DODGE COAL STOlv' 'AGE COMPANY, OF NAUGATUGK, CONNECTICUT, A GORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

CONTACT-POST SYSTEIJI FOR TRANSMITTIITQG ELECTEZG PQ 'WEZ are. 886,093.

Specification of Le ters Patent.

Zatented April 28, 1908.

Anplication filed February 29, 1998. Serial No. $18,534:.

To whom it may concern: Be it known that I, GEORGE E. Ti'rcoiin, a

citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain lmpi'oyeinents in Contact-Post Systems for Transmitting Electric Power, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates" to certain l11l TOV6- ments in means for transmitting e ectric power to cars, trainways and similar devices.

' The object of my invention is to substitute contact posts for the third rail or trolley wire,

particularly in view of the fact that the avail able electric power for operating machinery is a three-phase alternating current and requires three conductors, while ordinary direct current or Single-phase alternating current onlyurequires one conductor and the current 18 returned through the track rails.

Therefore, I havedevised a system in which contact posts are used,'which can be readily installed and in which the coveringsand pro- I tectors can be removed so that access can be -the insulation between the shoe and the brackets on the car; Fig. .7, is a view in elevation' of a double contact post showing the conduit in section; Fig. 8, is an end View of 7; Fig. 9, is a sectional view on the line 9-9, Fig. 10; Fig. 10, 'is a sectional view on the line l0-10, Fig. 7; Fig. 11,15 an enlargedview showing the contacts of the post; Fig.

12, is a perspective view of the contact posts with the protecting casing removed; Fig. 13,

is a perspective view of the casing; Fig. 14, is

a sectional view of a single 0st; Fig. 15, is a sectional plan viewon the ine 15-15, Fig. 14 Fig. 16, is a transverse sectional view of theconduit and Fig. 17, is a longitudinalgsectional view of the conduit. l

Referring in thefirst instance to Figs. 1 and 2. A, A are the contact posts, B, B are the conduits extending from one post to another, 0 is a bridge tram, in the present-instance having a shoe C adapted to contact stance, as'sliowii in e,

niaterial, and the bolts with. the terminals on one side oi the posts A, and D is a loading car having a shoe D arranged to bear against contacts on the opposite side of the posts A. The bridge train is adapted to tracks 0, 0 extending parallel with the conduits and the loading caris adapted to tracks (i, (Z. This is simply one plan of using my contact system and it will be understood that in place of the bridge crane an ordinary boom crane may be used, or any car for carrying material from one point toanother inay be substituted for the loading car and the contacts may be all on one side as in Fig, i l, oron both sides of the posts as in Fig. 9, and there may be as many contacts as desired, according to the system used. I in Fl s. 3 to 5, both inclusive, 1 have shown t .e form of contact I prefer to use. D is a car, as shown in Fig. l, and D is the contact shoe turned up at each end d so as to readily pass from one contact to another without interfering, and. in the present inthere are three contact. shoes D", one directly below another so as to aline with the contacts a, a,

c on the posts A. These contacts are supported by brackets D projecting from the side or" the car, as shown in Fig. 5, and are pivoted to the brackets through two series of pivoted arms E, E mounted on vertical pivots c on extensions d of the oraclrets D lhcso ariiis are pivoted at e to the shoes, as clearly showiiin 2, and have extensions 6 -wl'iicli. are connected by a rod E mounted in a spring he E A spring 6 beer" g upon a heads on the rod tends to force the rod in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, which in in two parts f, f and between these carts a sheet of nonconductbrl' 2 of fiber or other which secure the parts together, are inclosed in nonconducting ushings and caps as illustrated in said figure, althou h this construction may be modified witiioutdeparting from inyinvention.

In the drawings I'have not shown th "mechanism to which the current is cariie from the shoes-as it may he conducted in any suitable manner and any type of motor may be used without departing from the essenground; these uprights are firmly secured together at the ground by cross pieces a and on each side of the uprights are ribs a acting as guides for the cover A", shown (letached in Fig. 13:3. On the two uprights A are the contact plates (I, (1 a, one directly below another on each post, as illustrated in Figs. 9 and 12. Each contact is made as shown. in. the perspective view, Fig, 11, and consists of two rods i, i which extend througl'i openings in the posts A, and these rods pass through nonconducting headed sleeves i at each side and the rods are screwed into the contact plates a. At the opposite end are nut's i between which the terminals in are clamped; n, a are conducr tors extending from a terminal on one post to a terminal on the other post, as shown in detail. in the drawings, so that only one set of terminals is required for the two sets oiicontacts. it will be noticed that there are two bolts for each contact plate and only one of these bolts is a conductor, being attached to the terminal. m. 'l he posts A are laced a given distance apart and extending trom one 0st to another is a conduit G consisting of a ottom plate g and a semi-circular cover late 51 secured to a depending flange g of the )ottom plate by bolts g Figs. 16 and 17. These conduits are supported at the posts by the transverse members a and are sup orted at intervals by foundation members An arched section. it is secured to two abutting sections of the conduit as illustrated in Fig. 17, and extends down below the conduit to form feet 7p which rest upon and are secured to the foundations 7L, making a very substantial support for the Wires.

In. order to hold the wires on the bottom plate I secure to it at intervals tJ-shaped members 7c and between the upright arms of these members the wires are placed, as

shown in Figs. '7 and 9. Thus the cover g" can beremoved without disturbing the position of the wires, leaving the Wires exposed between the two posts and When'thc cover and protector A is lifted from the posts, as

in Figs. 12 and 18 allthe terminals and Contact plates o.

" ily had to all or? each contact a, a a

the conducting mechanism, yet when the parts are in place they are protected against moisture and guards are provided to prevent anv person coming in accidental contact with any of the terminals. The cover A is preferably made as shown in Fig. 13 and consists of two side sections P, P of wood, which have flanges 29 fitting over the ribs a on the uprights A, and a top P considerably greater in Width and length than the distance between the uprights, so as to extend over and protect the contacts a. cured to the side sections P are strips of wood extending beyond each' end, as shown in Fig. 13, andsecured to these strips are guard strips q, one mounted between These guards are so proportioned that the shoes-D will clear them, yet they will prevent any one touching the contacts. The entire cover is so, assembled that it can. be removed as,a unit, as illustrated in Fig. 13.

In Figs 14 and 15 I have shown a single v post A to which is attached a single row of contacts a, a, a, one mounted below another, and a cover Aj having theguards and top plate and adapted .-to inclo'se the terminals and conductors.

The above described invention is particu- I larly adapted for use in storage yards of manufacturing establishments, or terminalsread clearof any obstructions, and on account of the available electric power for operating machinery beingthree-phase alternating current it requires three conductors while 1n the ordinary dlrect current or single phase alternating current only one conductor I is used and the current is returned through the track rails, therefore, my improved post contact system is particularly adapted to the three-phase alternating current.

The posts are so situated one in respect to the other and the shoes on the cars or cranes are so designed-that the shoes will always be in contact with at least one post, the posts being set far enough apart to allow for the driving of teams across the tracks at any point and the shifting of material across the tracks at any point. I claim v 1. The combination in a system for transmitting electric power, of a series of posts spaced at given distance apart and having contacts, conduits extending from one post to another, a moving element having a shoe arranged to bear against the contacts of the posts, removable covers for the pdsts, and re-' movablccovers' for the conduits so thaflon 2. The combination of a series of posts spaced at given distance apart, conduits extending from one post to another, conducting Wires arranged in the conduits, removable covers for the conduits, a series of contacts mounted 011 the posts, terminals attached to the contacts and connected to the Wires in the conduits, and a cover detuchably mounted over the posts and acting as a protector for the terminals and as a guard for the contacts.

3. The combination in a post contact system for transmitting electric current, of a series of uprights arranged a given distance apart, conduits extending from one upright to another, a series of contact plates, one mounted above another on one side of each post, bolts extending through the posts from the contacts, terminals attached to the bolts, and conductors extending from the terminals to Wires in the conduits.

4. The combination or a series of contact posts spaced at given distance apart, each contact post consisting of two uprights, a series of contact plates mounted one above another on the outside of each upright, bolts extending through the uprights and connected to the contacts, conductors extending from the bolt on one upright to the bolt on the other upright, and terminals connected toone set of bolts and to the Wires in the conduit.

5. The combination of a series of posts arranged a given distance apart, conduits extending from one post to another, a series of contactson the posts connected to Wires in the conduits, a detachable cover having side members and a top, and guards projecting between each contact.

6. The combination of series of posts spaced at given distance apart, conduits extending from one post to another, Wires in the conduits, contacts on the posts, conductors extending from the con tents to the Wires in the conduits, guides on the posts, e detachable cover adapted .to the guides, said. cover consisting of side members, .a top, a series of bars secured to each side of the cover and extending beyond the ends of the cover,

end transverse guards on the bars projecting between each contact, thefentire cover being cured thereto, the upbturned ends of the bars confining Wires or ca les on the conduit, and

a detachable cbver plate secured .to the bottom plate and inclosing the Wires.

8. The combination of a series of contact posts having contacts thereon, a conduit ex.- tending from one post to another and having a bottom plate with downwardly extending flanges at each side, means for retaining the Wires on the bottom plate, an arched cover plate, and bolts securing the cover plate to the downwardly extending flanges of the bot tom plate. I

9. The combination of a series of contact posts, contacts thereon, a conduit extending from one post to another, each conduit having a bottom plate with turned down flanges, means for holding the wires or cables on the bottom plate, a cover plate having its lower edges secured to the downwardly extending flanges of the bottom plate, and supporting sections arranged at intervals between the posts and secured to the cover plate having feet resting upon supports and carrying the conduit.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence olf two subscribin Witnesses.

EORGE E. TITCOMB. Witnesses:

Jos. H. KLEIN, liVM. A. BARR. 

